The Wheel in the Sky Keeps on Turningby Tina Leonard6/28/2008 / Devotionals

It's funny sometimes how we can be minding our own business and God will sit us down to talk to us you know?

Have you ever been preoccupied doing something when you realize that God just had a conversation with you before you could question, pause, or decide not to listen? If you guys have not heard the song "I will not be moved" by Natalie Grant you really need to listen to it. It is possibly one of the greatest and most honest Christian songs I have ever heard in my life. If I could have wrote my testimony better and gave it to someone to sing it still would not match the words of that song.

I look back at situations and circumstances that I faced in the past that God brought me through and things He brought me out of and wonder how I can even begin to question present things that I face. We all go through difficult times and times of testing but isn't our faith supposed to grow stronger? I think sometimes our faith gets weak because we don't practice it. It's not that we don't have it built up inside of us, but sometimes God has to pull it out of us because we our not pouring it out on others. I think that is where we often fail God at times. I know during this time of my life as I am dealing with this injury that I sustained at work my faith has hit a stand still. Not because I don't trust God to bring me through and not because I don't love God the same, but it's because I am having a "woe is me" pity party. Yeah, a certain person at work was sent to be my own personal Judas, but God worked that situation out. And yes, I am having to take a lot of medications and I have been on light duty for four months and yes I have gained weight because I am not permitted to take part in exerting activities.but you know what I am alive right? I wake up each morning and take in a deep breath and I can hear the birds chirping. I can see the light shining through the windows and I can take both my feet out of the bed and rub my face with both hands.

Now, you see I could be selfish and pretend like all that stuff I just said was normal, but you know what it's not. I can count more than fifteen blessings in that last paragraph without even thinking about it. You see, there are thousands of people right now in the United States alone who are unemployed. There are also thousands of people in the United States alone who are homeless, and yes I am only going to compare myself to those who are less fortunate in this country because if I was to get other countries involved in this I would be writing for a long time. I was at a the mall a couple months ago with my husband when I saw this guy pushing himself with his arms on what looked to be a body skateboard. You see he only had his upper torso, so he literally got around on "wheels". I am not saying that to be funny either. At first I felt sorry for him, then I looked at my husband and I said, "You know what it is people like that, that probably feel sorry for us." We have our bodies and so many people let them go to waste right before their own eyes.

I watch these people that are in the Special Olympics and they just blow my mind how much confidence they have in themselves and how much they encourage all those who they come in contact with. I was listening to Ed Young Junior the other day ministering about his son and how the doctors said that he would never run after he was born, that he could never be an athletic participator of sports. Well, as his son got older he approached him and told him that he wanted to try out for track because they let everyone join. So his son joined the track team and at the first race he and his wife sat watching in sympathy as their son tried to run with the other kids. Many kids were finishing the race before their son even finished his first circle. However, as their son began to get closer to the end the race continued even with it only being him and as he got closer to the finish line everyone started cheering for him. You see, that race was not to beat the other kids inside of him it was to accomplish something he was told he would never do and both his parents stood and wiped the tears from their eyes as they seen the best race anyone in their eyes had ever ran.

I think about my past sometimes and where I would have been had I not wound up on my knees. I think about when I used to sell drugs and when I was in an abusive marriage and caught up in sin and rebellion and drinking and wonder where I would have ended up had I not wound up on my knees. I think about my temper how I used to cuss and smart off to people and let it rip on whoever decided to see if they were lucky that day and I wonder how many more people I would have survived talking to like that had I not had a one on one conversation with Jesus. I think about how depressed and hard and hurt and discontent I was for many long lonely weary years and I wonder how much longer it would have been before I decided I didn't want to be anymore, had I not wound up on my knees at that starting line about to join in that Eternal race across the finish line.

Now as I sit here I wonder how many laps I have to run before I go onto the next course. That's funny isn't it? You go through certain things until you have the ability to pass the baton off to someone else and then you move on to the next course. You see right now I am not even running in place. I am standing here with my baton not even wanting to run. So what is happening? Well, I am gaining weight physically and spiritually. Things are starting to "weigh" me down. Sad thing about all of this is I am at the highest peak I have ever been at in my life and yet I am still allowing this course to hold me back from the next finish line.

Last night I was talking to my step daughter about God as we were sitting on the front porch swing I watched the little wind spinner red helicopter we got in our front yard. I was telling her how everyone has their own personal relationship with God. She was curious if we could tell if another person would go to Heaven or Hell based on how we see them living their life. I said, well no other person can determine if another will make it to Heaven or not. The only thing we can gather is by asking someone if they have accepted Christ into their heart as Lord and Savoir. We cannot be the judge of where they are at in the race. We all started on different laps and on different courses. I told her that God judges everyone based on what He sees in their heart and if we are convicted of sin and we don't turn from it then we are telling God that certain sin has more precedence in our lives than He does. However, if we truly want to rid ourselves of such things He will help us if we lay them at the cross.

It was at that point that as the storm had passed over she looked at me and said, "Do you think thunder and lightening is happening because God is talking to the angels." I said, "God talks to the angels all the time, He talks to us all the time too, but a lot of times we don't get quiet enough to hear Him." Suddenly as I said that the little spinner on the helicopter began to spin like crazy even though the wind had calmed and the trees were still. It was at that moment that God spoke to me and I allowed myself to hear Him.

You see, even though we stop running at times, He is still up there cheering us on and even though sometimes as Natalie Grant says, "I feel like my prayers are bouncing off the sky" He knows exactly what He is preparing us for. And even though sometimes I throw the baton down in frustration He keeps clapping for me and waiting for me to cross the next finish line so that I can pass the baton. The Wheel in the Sky keeps on Turning for you and for me. He is steadfast and it's in our weakness He is made strong. I believe that on that day when we cross that final finish line no matter where we are at in the race, as long as we gave it our all and focused on being the best that we can be regardless of what others say or do or how others run the race that Christ is going to be standing there wiping the tears from His eyes cheering us on all the way.

Why would He be so touched to see us cross the finish line? Think about it.if it wasn't for Him, everyone wouldn't be allowed to participate in the race. None of us would be fit to even stand at the starting line up let alone pass the baton. However when Christ sees us He sees His son or daughter, no matter what our spiritual shape is or what condition our shoes are in He sees us trying to get to that first flag and then the second flag and on and on. You see Christ is our coach and He won't make you run any faster than what you are willing or able. He knows our capabilities and doesn't judge us for our lack of speed, He judges us based on tenacity and endurance. You see as long as we put forth our best effort and we endure the race to the end His Word says that we shall be saved. Tenacity is the determination to stand steadfast on the drive to keep running regardless of your pace or your place. Tenacity and endurance together is the quality God sees in His followers that causes the wheel in the sky to keep turning. You see no matter what our simple minds may not be able to understand, God sees all and knows all so when we become weak in the knees or stop to take a breath He keeps our spirit alive inside. Aren't you glad that wheel is turning for you?

Matthew 24:13

"But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."

II Timothy 2:13

"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."

II Timothy 4:3-5

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry."

Watch this touching video of this Father helping his son run this race a race that shows true love with tenacity and endurance beyond what many of us can fathom~ God Bless!

Above is the link cause I couldn't get the video to post in my blog but it will bless you!

My name is Tina Leonard. I have been writing my entire life, but it wasn't until I accepted Christ in 1998 that I began to write for the edification of the body and to bring the rightful Glory to His Kingdom. Feel free to visit my website at www.myspace.com/christisking2.